Chương 5: The 2012 Portal
"This is the knowledge you need to learn next. Work hard, Ned." The Ancient One handed Ned a stack of books.
"Mm." Ned drank the tea in his cup in one gulp and replied, looking at the books on the table.
In the following months, Ned moved between the cabin, the cafeteria, the square, and the Ancient One's room, and in the blink of an eye, several months passed. Ned had learned more than twenty magic spells, both easy and difficult, including Mirror Dimension and Astral Projection.
…
"Ned, I suggest you go pack your things now. I don't want to hit you one last time before you leave!" Mordo said to Ned.
Though he said this, Mordo's expression was serious, clearly showing that things weren't as simple as he made them out to be.
"Master Mordo, you remain as resolute as ever. With all due respect, Master, I must insist on challenging you before I leave—no exceptions," Ned said calmly, his expression hidden behind a mask.
This mask, called the "Mask of Agony," was a magical item that not only strengthened the effects of Ned's magic but also protected him from all psychic attacks, including illusions.
"Trust me, you'll regret this." Mordo grabbed the Staff of the Court of Life and said.
Upon seeing this, Ned smiled slightly and immediately summoned the Holy Sword of Veshan to strike at Mordo.
Seeing the fiery sword coming at him, Mordo quickly used the Staff of the Court of Life to block the strike.
"Bang!" The Holy Sword of Veshan in Ned's hand collided with Mordo's Staff of the Court of Life, resulting in a draw.
Ned quickly turned the sword and struck at Mordo's waist, using a move called "Waist Slash."
Mordo, facing the strike, stomped his foot on the 'Boots of Bhodo' and leapt into the air, landing behind Ned.
He immediately swung the Staff of the Court of Life to strike at Ned's back.
Ned, sensing the fierce wind coming from behind, smiled confidently.
Sure enough, before Mordo's attack could land, Ned's Magic Levitation Cloak detached itself from him and wrapped around Mordo's Staff of the Court of Life.
Mordo immediately reached out to grab the cloak, but the cloak was so powerful that even Thanos had difficulty removing it, let alone Mordo.
Mordo pulled at the cloak twice, but not only did he fail to pull it off, the cloak also snatched the weapon from his hands.
As Mordo struggled with the cloak, Ned had already dissipated the Holy Sword of Veshan in his hand and summoned a magical whip.
Seeing that Mordo had been disarmed and hadn't used magic, Ned seized the opportunity and whipped the magical whip around Mordo's ankle, pulling hard and tripping him.
Then, Ned leapt into the air and landed on Mordo's waist.
"Ugh!!"
With Ned's 300-pound weight, Mordo couldn't bear it. He let out a loud scream.
Ned smiled slightly and took off his mask, saying, "Master, a great Eastern scholar once said: 'If someone attacks your waist, you should hit them back a hundredfold or thousandfold!' You must be feeling that right now, huh?"
"I admit defeat! I admit defeat! Damn! Get off me!" Mordo, in agony, shouted, not caring about what Ned was saying. He felt like his waist was about to break.
Hearing Mordo's words, Ned stood up and said, "Alright, Sir, thanks for the past few months of teaching. I'm ready to depart."
After saying that, Ned bent down and helped Mordo up, then headed toward his cabin to pack his things, preparing to leave.
"Ugh, Ned!" Mordo, clutching his waist, shouted at Ned's retreating figure. "Who's this great scholar you mentioned? How could he say such crude things?"
Ned turned around with a smile and said, "Lu Xun."
After that, he didn't linger and continued walking away.
Mordo, upon hearing Ned's words, stared at him with a gleam in his eyes and muttered to himself, "Lu… Xun…"
…
"Oh! Ned, have a great vacation! You won't believe what I went through at the tech expo!" As soon as Ned returned home, he received a call from Peter, whose voice was full of excitement.
Hearing Peter's words, Ned replied, "Peter, trust me, my vacation was even more eventful."
"Alright, Ned, tomorrow Stark Industries is holding an exhibition in the Manhattan area. Do you want to go?" Peter said, calming himself down.
"Sure, see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
…
"Hey! Peter!" Ned called out as he approached Peter, who was standing at the door.
"Wham!"
Unexpectedly, before Ned could place his hand on Peter's shoulder, Peter grabbed his wrist with a swift move.
"Uh… Ned," Peter said awkwardly as he released Ned's wrist. "Long time no see."
"Peter?" Ned squinted at him and said seriously, "You seem a bit different."
Peter, hearing Ned's words, chuckled awkwardly and said, "Yeah! Maybe I've gained some weight this holiday, you know, Aunt May keeps insisting I eat more."
"Uh… Ned! Let's go inside!" Peter suddenly slung his arm around Ned's shoulder, speaking in an unnatural tone.
Ned immediately sensed that Peter was hiding something and had a few suspicions of his own. But he still said, "Alright, let's go inside."
"Boom!"
Just as Ned agreed, before he could take a step, a loud noise suddenly came from nearby. Peter immediately turned, his eyes sharp as he looked in that direction.
A blue light shot up from the top of a nearby building, rising into the sky. Then, a spatial wormhole slowly opened in the sky.
If it were any other day, Peter would have thought it was some new technology from Tony Stark, and they would've excitedly discussed it.
But now, his hairs stood on end, his spider-sense was going wild, sending him warnings of danger, preventing him from relaxing for even a moment.
"Peter, tell me, what year is it now?" As Peter nervously stared at the sky where the portal opened, Ned asked.
Peter, without turning around, answered, "Of course, it's 2012, Ned. You should hide for a bit, the situation is strange…"
At that moment, Ned was stunned by Peter's words. He hadn't paid much attention to the timeline after he crossed over and went to Kamar-Taj. He had only assumed it was before Doctor Strange but not far from Captain America: Civil War, since he vaguely remembered Peter being 16 when he joined the Civil War.
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